Mike Brown Is Fired as Coach of NBA’s Cavaliers for Second Time

Mike Brown, then - head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers calls out the play during the game against the Charlotte Bobcats at The Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on April 5, 2014. Photographer: by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

May 13 (Bloomberg) -- Mike Brown was fired as coach of the
Cleveland Cavaliers for a second time after finishing with a
losing record for the first time in a full National Basketball
Association season.

The Cavaliers went 33-49 this season under Brown, who
returned to Cleveland just over a year ago after having compiled
a 272-138 record with teams led by LeBron James from 2005
through 2010. Brown, fired by the Cavaliers after an upset
playoff loss in May 2010, coached the Los Angeles Lakers during
the 2012-13 season and was dismissed after five games.

“This is a very tough business,” Cavaliers owner Dan
Gilbert said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. “It pains all
of us here that we needed to make the difficult decision of
releasing Mike Brown.”

After losing 33 of their first 49 games, the Cavaliers
named David Griffin as acting general manager and then had a
17-16 record the rest of the way. Griffin yesterday took over as
general manager on a fulltime basis, with Gilbert saying he’s
the “best person to lead our franchise at this critical time.”

Griffin will head the Cavaliers’ search for a new coach.

Cleveland has a 97-215 record in the four years since James
signed with the Miami Heat after the 2009-10 season.